WIPO Director General Visits Republic of Korea
Geneva, November 22, 2001
Press Updates UPD/2001/148
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, met on November 19, 2001 in Daejeon with senior officials at the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) for talks on the further development of Korea's intellectual property infrastructure. During his visit to the Republic of Korea, Dr. Idris also addressed the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) International Symposium on Intellectual Property and Information Technology. In addition, the Director General was awarded an Honorary Doctoral degree in Law from Hannam University in Daejeon.
Dr. Idris held constructive talks with KIPO Commissioner Mr. Leem Laegue, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Yoo Young-sang, as well as other senior officials of KIPO on current and future areas of collaboration between the two organizations. As a result, the Director General and the Commissioner of KIPO signed a Framework Agreement of Cooperation between WIPO and KIPO, which highlighted nine priority areas of cooperation, covering use of information technology, electronic commerce, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore, enforcement, human resources development, global industrial property protection systems including reform of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the patent system in general, and promotion of modern management practices.
Speaking to the APEC symposium, Dr. Idris said the rapid development of information and communication technologies has fuelled a huge leap forward in knowledge creation and has increased our ability to share that knowledge. Further, the Internet has revolutionized our ability to interact and to do business., He expressed concern, however, over the growing "digital divide," which he said was, itself, part of a larger problem that he called the "knowledge divide". The "knowledge divide" separates those countries that use and manage their knowledge assets effectively from those that have not yet been able to do so. He said APEC members, which in 1999 accounted for almost half of the world's global trade, have been highly effective in using knowledge assets - human capital bolstered by a strong intellectual property system - to drive research and development, increase manufacturing and distribution, stimulate employment-creating transactions like licensing and joint ventures and to maximize revenues and distribution of goods and services.
The Director General pledged WIPO's commitment to help its member states capitalize on the opportunities for growth and advancement that are presented by rapidly evolving information technologies. He referred to on-going WIPO initiatives to make it as easy as possible to obtain legal protection for intellectual property assets, such as the forthcoming entry into force of the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the WIPO Phonograms and Performances Treaty (WPPT)-which set out minimum standards of copyright protection in the digital environment-reform of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and PCT automation.
The Director General underlined the important roles that information and communication technology and the development of human capital play in the Organization's work in promoting and protecting intellectual property and in exploiting its full potential as a means of wealth creation and economic and social development. In this regard he referred to the work of the WIPO Worldwide Academy in the field of intellectual property training and education, and WIPO programs to improve licensing skills and heighten awareness of technology transfer. He highlighted initiatives to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises - the backbone of many economies - are better able to capitalize on the potential of the intellectual property system for their commercial development and competitiveness.
Dr. Idris also referred to the establishment of a global digital network, known as "WIPONET" which enables national intellectual property offices to be linked to WIPO and to each other via a secure network. The deployment of powerful information technology-based solutions, he said, would enable member states to access global information resources, including the rich and growing pool of intellectual property information. This, he said, was a major step towards overcoming both the digital and the knowledge divide and in ensuring that all countries were in a position to harvest the social and economic fruits of their creative and innovative potential.
Dr. Idris also visited Hannam University in Daejeon, where he was awarded an Honorary Doctoral degree. Speaking to an audience of academics and students, Dr. Idris expressed his gratitude for having been conferred with this honor and highlighted the universal importance of intellectual property. He underlined the role of academic institutions in creating a cultural of awareness and understanding of intellectual property questions and expressed certainty that the intellectual property system is the best tool for social development, economic growth and wealth creation. Dr. Idris also met with the President of the University, Mr. Shin Yoon-Pyo.
The Republic of Korea became a member of WIPO in 1979, and is party to five other international treaties administered by WIPO including the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
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